Set mouse buttons as A B X Y

[xopher]

I suspect you are overestimating my comprehension of what you are instructing me to do. I have no Linux experience - I use Win Xp and am an artist, not a techy. So I really need an 'IDIOT'S' guide.

No problem....rather than clutter up the thread I'll help you out via PM It may take me until later this evening though....it'll be funny if once you get it you decide....ehhhhhh.....this sux, but you'll learn a bit

 

[FaeMinx]

it'll be funny if once you get it you decide....ehhhhhh.....this sux, but you'll learn a bit

I'm always keen to learn.

 

[sebt3]

Where would you put the home/end/pgup/pgdn buttons then?


I think the default mapping is just fine as it is. It's not like it isn't easy to change it if you want.

+1

 

[Caine]

Damn, I really should allocate some time to add this to the nub configurator.


It would require xkbset to be added to the firmware, but that would be a more than reasonable decision.

 

[skeezix]

Current mapping is great; losing page-up/down etc woudl annoy the living heck out of me


Being configurable is an option.


We have bigger input fish to fry than this


jeff

 

[Grench]

I skimmed all of the above posts - if this was mentioned I didn't catch it. Sorry if it's a repeated suggestion.


I find that if my nubs go out of calibration, they're use as mouse controls can be frustrating.


To calibrate your nubs:


1. run the left one in counter clockwise circles to the extent of it's travel no less than 5 times around.


2. run the left one in clockwise circles to the extent of it's travel no less than 5 times around.


3. park the pointer in a blank spot of the desktop (so it isn't going to activate stuff)


4. run the right one in counter clockwise circles to the extent of it's travel no less than 5 times around.


5. run the right one in clockwise circles to the extent of it's travel no less than 5 times around.


After a while you get good at 'detecting' when the nubs are floating out of calibration and can do the whole above process in under 3 seconds.


Grench

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Who talks about losing page-up/down ?


It's a swap between right nub and buttons i dream of.


Of course i can swap myself, but i think about overall OP usability, and have no time to "hack" now.


Look at the poll... :/


Thanks for the calibration tip. Will try it.


But it's not something the average user have to do, even from time to time...

 

[skeezix]

If you just want to swap the functions from one to the other.. the functions are still equally available, so not sure I See the point; if you're suggesting one is more reliable than the other, I suppose thats a point, but the bigger question then is .. why is one set unreliable? Fix _that_ issue instead rather than just saying 'lets make the other set of functions suck instead'


(FWIW, I'm biased by using page up/down much more than nub-as-mouse, and my nub-as-mouse works fine. You may be biased by having your mouse-as-nub experience sucking, so fair game.)


jeff

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Basically, the nub is analogic. Used as is, it literally rocks.


But when using it as a binary control on/off, it appears to behave like on/off/on/off a little too much for my taste.


I consider mouse as a precision control. I enjoy the moving part of it, but the buttons part is imprecise...


I know i insist much, but you just can't deliver an unit with a default setting like this...


BTW i tried the calibration tip. Seemed to work better for a couple of minutes, then was back to a random behaviour :/

 

[slaeshjag]

If the default behaviour would be changed to this, I would do everything in my power to make my releases not work with it. That's how strongly opposed I am to it. An accidential double-tap (or tap at all) on pgup/pgdown would be way way way more annoying that a accidential double-click imo.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

It's sad to read something like this.


Anyway, i would do everything in my power to make pgup/pgdown stay on y/x.

 

[bzar]

Maybe it could have a neutral zone, where the "button" state is not changed. AFAIK it currently has "on zone" and "off zone", and the button state comes straight from the nub position. I'd suggest having a "neutral zone" between them where the previous button state is returned. This would remove the hard, sharp limit between the on/off states. I used something like this to remove jitter when doing a motionplus mouse plugin for cwiid.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

That indeed could do it.


But i stay on my position, thinking a on/off is better on a switch, not on analog.

 

[ahahah]

a on/off is better on a switch, not on analog.

it's strange that this is not evident for everybody. :blink:


it is even (IMO) more handy/convenient in use.

 

[diligentcircle]

I don't get what the fuss is about. I'm right now using my Logitech F310 controller with the exact same configuration set with JoyToKey. It works great. I haven't had any accidental double-clicks or anything like that. Even if they did, do you have any idea how annoying it would be if this happened to PageUp/PageDown/Home/End? I don't have my pandora yet, but I believe the layout is A = Home, B = End, X = PgDn, Y = PgUp? If that's correct, imagine being a programmer and accidentally pressing PgUp when you only meant to press End. OK, not a big deal, but imagine having that happen to you every 5 minutes. Then you get an annoying scenario. OK, so you just put two of them on the nub, but then it's a bit counter-intuitive. Normally, those four keys are grouped together.


Another thing to note: you can click with the touch screen. You can't as easily press Home/End/PgUp/PgDn with the touch screen. This seems to me in and of itself to be a compelling enough reason to keep the current layout as the default.


The only reason I can think of to change the defaults is if the nub is really so terrible that this layout causes real issues, and if so, maybe the nubs need to be fixed, rather than being touted as the second-best nubs on the market? Just sayin'.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

If that's correct, imagine being a programmer and accidentally pressing PgUp when you only meant to press End.

I'm only suggesting it for overall usability... Lambda user, thousands ppl who will buy the OP when the mass production will really start.


Having a more convenient setting should be no match for a programmer.

 

[diligentcircle]

If that's correct, imagine being a programmer and accidentally pressing PgUp when you only meant to press End.

I'm only suggesting it for overall usability... Lambda user, thousands ppl who will buy the OP when the mass production will really start.


Having a more convenient setting should be no match for a programmer.

Can you please explain how exactly a more counter-intuitive layout is more convenient? Imagine being a new user. You find that X is left click, A is right click, Y is PgUp, and B is PgDn. What if this user happens to use Home and End frequently? How is he supposed to know that the right nub randomly performs these functions without having to consult a manual? This isn't a silly question; just about everyone I know completely ignores manuals and some even just throw them away. With that in mind, if someone sees that Y is PgUp and B is PgDn, but don't see any Home or End keys, they would probably assume that they just don't exist, and this serves to hurt the reputation of the Pandora, especially if this user particularly likes to use the Home/End keys.


You might say this is a problem with the current layout, but the issue is PgUp and PgDn in this suggested layout are buttons, but Home and End, which are directly related, are controlled by a nub for apparently no reason. With the current layout, it at least makes sense: the nubs control the mouse while the buttons are keys. Also, it would be a lot easier for the user to figure out just by experimenting with the nubs a bit; all he has to do is move the right nub around and eventually a menu appears. Bingo, you just hit the right mouse button! OK, so now you know you just clicked the right mouse by moving the nub, so what direction was it? Ah-hah! Moving it right clicks the right mouse button! That must mean moving it left makes a left click! The only thing that would not be obvious at this point would be the up double-click, and my trials with my gamepad found that double clicks by tapping left twice weren't that big of a deal anyway. Besides, like I said before, there's also the touch screen; it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that it can be used to click or double-click on things.

 

[Linux-SWAT]

You can write things like this for hours.


Everyone can find any argument for programmers, web designers, gamers, multimedia users, cookers...


The first time i powered on a Pandora, i pushed on buttons, believing they were mouse buttons.


Every time i put my OP in other's hands, they push buttons.


When i look at the poll results etc...

 

[Prometheus]

^ I'm pretty sure any poll with only 56 responses would not be considered a legitimate source by anyone.

 

[Caine]

The first time i powered on a Pandora, i pushed on buttons, believing they were mouse buttons.


Every time i put my OP in other's hands, they push buttons.


When i look at the poll results etc...

Just because your first intuition expects them to be buttons doesn't make it the best mapping.